Situational Judgment Task (SJT)

Overview

What it measures: Emotional intelligence in business education contexts—recognizing emotions, understanding their impact, managing one's own emotions, and responding effectively to others' emotional states.

Developed by: PRME Pedagogy Certificate Series + winded.vertigo (2025), based on CASEL framework and participant-generated scenarios from October 2025 Strengthening Emotional Intelligence session

When to use: Pre/post assessment in courses emphasizing leadership, teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, or socio-emotional skills. Can also be used standalone for needs assessment or reflection.

Completion time: 8-12 minutes (3-4 scenarios)

Format & Structure

SJT Design

Each scenario presents:

1. An emotional challenge: A realistic situation requiring emotional awareness and regulation
2. Open-ended prompt: "What would you do?" (1-2 sentence response)
3. Multiple-choice or ranking task: Evaluate or rank response options

The scenarios span three contexts:

• For students: EI challenges in learning environments
• For educators: EI challenges in teaching and facilitation
• For administrators: EI challenges in institutional leadership

Example Scenario 1: Student Frustration

Scenario Stem